WHITE TERRORISM

WHITE TERRORISM

Two Unasked Questions in Tucson Mass Murder

Serious Guns and White Terrorism

By BILL QUIGLEY

January 10, 2011

Question: How does a mentally unstable man who was kicked out of school and had run-ins with the law buy such a serious weapon?

The weapon reportedly used in the mass murders in Tucson was a serious weapon - a Glock 19, semi-automatic pistol, with an extended magazine. Some weapons like that were illegal to sell in the US from 1994 to 2004 under the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. It is now legal to sell and own them. The National Rifle Association reports there are tens of millions of assault weapons in private hands in the US.

The federal background check for people purchasing such weapons only prohibits selling such weapons to people who have been legally determined to be mentally defective or found insane or convicted of crimes. This man had not been found legally mentally defective or convicted so he was legally entitled to purchase an assault weapon. In Arizona he was legally entitled to carry the weapon in a concealed manner.

The US has well over 250 million guns in private hands according to the National Rifle Association. That is more, according to the BBC, than any country in the world. In one year, guns murdered 17 people in Finland, 35 in Australia, 39 in England and Wales, 60 in Spain, 194 in Germany, 200 in Canada, and 9,484 in the United States according to the Brady Campaign.

Does the US really need tens of millions of assault weapons and hundreds of millions of other guns? We already put more of our people in prison than any country in the world and we spend more on our military than all the rest of the world together. How fearful must we be?

Question: Why is there so little talk of terrorism?

Apparently when a mentally unstable white male is accused, terrorism is not the first thing that comes to mind. White terrorism is not a concept the US takes seriously.

When Clay Duke, a white male, threatened Florida school board members with a gun and shot at them before shooting himself, in December 2010, he was mentally imbalanced.


When Michael Enright, a white male, was arrested for slashing the throat of a Muslim NYC cab driver in August of 2010, his friends said he had a drinking problem.

When Byron Williams, a white male, was arrested after opening fire on police officers and admitted he was on his way to kill people at offices of a liberal foundation and a civil liberties organization, in July 2010, he was an unemployed right wing felon with a drinking problem.

When Joe Stack, a white male, flew his private plane into a federal building in Austin, Texas, in February 2010, he was angry with the IRS.

When a white male is accused of mass murder, white terrorism is not much talked of. Rather the mass murder becomes a terrible tragedy but not one where race or ethnicity or religion need be examined.

Now, if the accused had been Muslim, does anyone doubt whether this mass murder would have been considered an act of terrorism? US Muslims could have expected increased surveillance and harassment at home and the places where they work and worship. They could have expected a Congressional inquiry into the radicalization of their people. Oh, Representative Peter King (R-NY) has already started that one!

Bill Quigley is Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and law professor at Loyola University New Orleans.



AFGHANISTAN OR ARIZONA? AN ATROCIOUS ACT


By FIDEL CASTRO

January 10, 2011

http://www.counterpunch.org/castro01102011.html

Sad news was broadcast this afternoon from the United States: Gabrielle Giffords, Democratic congresswoman for Arizona, was the victim of a criminal attempt while taking part at a political meeting at her electoral district in Tucson. On the other side of the border lies Mexico, the Latin American country to which that territory used to belong when, in an unjust war, more than one half of its area was seized from it.

Along its arid surface, many of those who emigrate from Mexico, Central America and other Latin American countries try to escape hunger, poverty and the underdevelopment to which those countries have been led by the United States. Money and goods can freely cross the border; human beings cannot. Without mentioning the drugs and weapons that cross that line in either direction.

Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans who work in that country doing the toughest and worst paid jobs are captured each year and sent back to their points of departure, many times separated from their closest kin. They were hoping that the new administration would correct that criminal and inhuman policy.

According to just-arrived news, 18 people were shot and six died, among them a 9-year-old girl and Federal Judge John Roll.

The congresswoman was seriously wounded by a bullet in the head. Doctors were fighting to save her life.

She is married to NASA astronaut Mark Kelly. She was first elected to Congress in 2006 at the age of 36. “She is a supporter of migrant reform, stem cell research and alternative energy”, measures that are hated by the far right.

She was re-elected as the Democratic representative in the past elections.

When her father was asked whether she had any enemies, he replied: "The entire Tea Party”.

It is known that the former US vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 elections and Tea Party leader, Sarah Palin, published on her website, as the aim for supporters of her party, a map of the congressional districts of 20 of the representatives who had backed President Obama’s proposed health reform bill and she had them marked with the viewfinder of a rifle.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ political opponent was a former Marine who appeared in the electoral campaign with an M-16 in a message which stated: “Help get rid of Gabrielle Giffords...shoot the entire ammo chamber of an M-16 with Jesse Kelly.”

In March 2010, Gabrielle’s district office was attacked. She stated that when people do that they were going to have to be aware of the consequences; political leaders should get together and set limits.

Any sensible person could well wonder whether such an act happened in Afghanistan or in an electoral district in Arizona.

Obama stated:

“…an unspeakable tragedy, a number of Americans were shot…”

“And while we are continuing to receive information, we know that some have passed away, and that Representative Giffords is gravely wounded…”.

“We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society….”

“I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers.”

His appeal is quite dramatic and very sad. Even those of us who don’t share his political or philosophical ideas in the least sincerely hope that no children, judges, congressmen or any US citizen should die in such an absurd and unjustifiable way.

It is sad to remember that in the world every year many millions of people are dying as the consequence of absurd wars, poverty, growing famines and the deterioration of the environment promoted by the wealthiest and most developed nations on the planet.

We would like Obama and the United States Congress to share those concerns with all the other peoples.